Cordray's confirmation clears FitzGerald's way

Democrat is now only one still challenging Kasich

1:03 AM,
Jul. 21, 2013

FitzGerald

Written by

| Enquirer staff

Richard Cordray's confirmation as director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau opens a new phase in Ed FitzGerald's campaign for governor of Ohio.

FitzGerald, Cuyahoga County's executive, is the only Democrat to launch a challenge to Republican incumbent Gov. John Kasich. But Cordray had always been the wild card.

So long as Senate Republicans kept his Washington future in limbo, some Democratic activists and donors preferred to wait on backing a gubernaorial candidate. Even with FitzGerald's head start, these holdouts argued, there was plenty of time for Cordray to lose ...